U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,154, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a front cover for an internal combustion engine that comprises variable cam timing (VCT) controls integrated into the cover. The controls include a variable force solenoid (VFS) and a cam position sensor located in front of, and operably connected to a cam phaser. In an embodiment of the invention, the engine cover, once assembled, comprises a single unit having an electronic interface module (EIM), VFS and position sensor integrated within said cover.
However, electrical leads of the electrical system involved are generally independently or individually connected inside the engine cover, creating undesirable results such as complicated wiring because of increased numbers of independent wiring and connections. Other undesirable results include increased difficulty in installing and repairing the components the electrical leads terminate, sealing problems or the lack of proper sealing because of the increased number of leads leading out of the engine. It should be noted that inside the engine cover, there is oil or oil splashes. These oil or oil splashes affects the integrity of stranded wire and its connections to terminals within the engine cover in the presence of high levels of oil splash, heat, and vibration. To prevent the above occurrence is a sizeable task. Therefore, it is desirable to incorporate all the suitable electrical leads into a single consolidated member.
Further, it is well known to use lead frames in the computer chip manufacturing art. A lead frame, in the computer chip manufacturing art, is defined as a member used to make a resin encapsulation package, which encapsulates a semiconductor chip and is mounted on a substrate, such as a printed circuit board, to electrically connect the semiconductor chip to the substrate.